As a truly historic year comes to an end, many public health policy issues received a considerable amount of attention in 2020. Subjects such as the pandemic that will live on in infamy, racial ...
The 2020 holiday season is coinciding with a nationwide surge of COVID-19 cases. With great concern that holiday travel to see loved ones may exacerbate community spread of the virus, many states are ...
Each year the U.S. battles seasonal influenza, leaving millions of people sick, hospitalized, or worse. As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, it is crucial for all eligible individuals to receive a flu ...
On Dec. 3, the International Day of People with Disabilities commemorates disability rights and brings awareness to essential issues for those with disabilities by promoting the “well-being of ...
Several states and territories, as well as many local governments, are going beyond recommendations and requiring individuals to wear face coverings when they are in public settings and spaces (i.e. ...
In the late fall of 2021, ASTHO leadership visited select jurisdictions in the Pacific and the Atlantic for the first time since COVID-19 curtailed travel to these regions. It was a fantastic to ...
On Dec. 3, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, ASTHO is commemorating nearly 12 months of supporting disability and preparedness specialists in state and territorial health agencies. ...
Public Health leaders know that location matters and has a significant impact on an individual’s health—and initiatives that have the highest impact focus on localized conditions and speak directly ...
While governments have faced challenges in adopting a Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach to respond to COVID-19, the impact of the public health emergency across sectors such as housing, ...
For many individuals living with disabilities, inaccessible vaccination websites have been a significant barrier to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Recent studies have found that many vaccination ...
Following a hurricane, the risk of exposure to infectious disease increases due, in part, to the presence of floodwater and debris. Hurricanes may contribute to population displacement and ...
Tips for public health leaders to improve crisis communications.
As part of ASTHO’s Public Health - Hope, Equity, Resilience, and Opportunity initiative, we are using this post to highlight some acts of thanks for organization leaders and supervisors to consider.
Under the Tenth Amendment, states have the power to protect the health and welfare of their populations, including the authority to implement isolation and quarantine orders to limit the spread of ...
To enhance social distancing and reduce healthcare worker and patient exposure to COVID-19, there have been unprecedented expansions in the use of telehealth, supported by both federal and state ...
In this podcast episode, Scott Harris and Mei Kwong explore the current state of telehealth during COVID-19 and how it’s being used as a tool to access care, spotlighting examples from public health.
This report analyzes the results from a survey of state and territorial health agency staff to collect information regarding health agency efforts to address climate change and extreme weather.
The refrain from the popular Police song “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” takes on new meaning in the current era of COVID-19 infection and control. Remember to isolate, quarantine, and social distance.
The rise of seriously ill COVID-19 patients is a reminder of the primary role that public health departments play in responding to any outbreak: preventing community-wide transmission of disease.
As we commemorate Mental Health Month in May, state health departments are tasked with a monumental public health crisis that includes the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and suicide.